Quality characteristics of spray dried powder from unripe fig extract

In this study, the quality characteristics of spray dried powders from unripe fig extract were investigated. The protease activities of unripe fig and peeled unripe fig extract were 0.11 unit/mL and 0.28 unit/mL, respectively. The spray dried powder of unripe fig extracts was analzed using different maltodextrin ratios (F-MD 5, 5% maltodextrin; F-MD 10, 10% maltodextrin; and F-MD 20, 20% maltodextrin). The spray-dried powder showed the highest protease activity with F-MD 10 (0.84 unit/g). The moisture content and L value of the spray-dried powder were higher than those of the freeze-dried powder. The particle diameter of the freeze-dried powder (209.67 μm) was higher than that of the spray-dried powders (22.18~37.33 μm). The water absorption index ranged from 0.18 to 0.40, while the water solubility index ranged from 94.40% to 98.80%. In the in vitro digestion study, spray-dried powders of the unripe fig showed a protease survival range of 16.47%~24.80%. In conclusion, it is considered appropriate to use the spray-dried powder (F-MD 10) of unripe fig as a meat tenderizer for processing food.